Do the men in your life always carry their mobile phones in their pockets? If so, they may be at risk of fertility problems, scientists have warned.

New research suggests that men’s sperm counts may be reduced from talking on a charging phone, or even keeping it close to them at night while they sleep. This is because electromagnetic activity and heat, which emanate from a mobile device, is believed to “cook” the sperm and kill them.

Scientists in Israel looked at 106 men who attended a fertility clinic for a year, and it was discovered that those who talked on the phone for more than an hour daily were twice as likely to have low sperm quality than those who chatted for less than 60 minutes. Men who used their phones as it charged were almost twice as likely to have problems.

More worryingly, 47 per cent of the men who kept their phone within 20 inches of their groin area had seriously-affected sperm levels.

Professor Martha Dirnfeld, from the Technion University in Haifa, noted that this low sperm count makes conception difficult.

Talking about the findings, which were published in the scientific journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online, she said: “If you are trying for a baby and it doesn’t happen within a year, you might want to think of whether it could be your mobile phone habit that is to blame.” In this case, it might be that your partner’s Instagram addiction is keeping you guys from starting the very family you want nothing more than to post pictures of!

Another fertility expert, Professor Gedis Grudzinskas at St George’s Hospital, London, added: “Men need to think about their well-being and try to stop being addicted to their phones.”

So, the next time you watch a male close to you pop their phone in their trouser pocket, we suggest you tell them to move it elsewhere. And be wary of where they keep their phone at night – as far away from the bed as possible is best. This will also help a good night’s sleep, as gadgets have been proven to disrupt shut eye.